Methuen Veneers and Implants

Root Canal Therapy

Root canal therapy is treatment used to repair and save a tooth that has been infected due to a deep cavity that has reached the nerve or a cracked tooth. The treatment involves removing the pulp and the nerves in the center  of the tooth, and cleaning the infected area. A tooth's pulp and nerve is not important to a tooth's health and function, after the tooth has fully emerged from the gums. If the treatment is not performed, the pulp becomes infected and pus can build up at the root tip, spreading the infection of the pulp  to the surrounding bone. This results in pain and swelling, and your tooth would likely have to be removed.
Sometimes the pulp can die quietly with no discomfort but will still infect the surrounding bone. That is one  reason a full set of dental x-rays  are taken every 5 years of all the root tips.

What are the signs that a root canal is needed?
  • Severe tooth pain while chewing
  • Your tooth pain wakes you up at night
  • Teeth that are highly sensitive to hot or cold, with the sensitivity lingering for some time.
  • Discoloration or darkening of the tooth
  • Swollen gums in the area of the infected tooth

What does the treatment involve?

First, an opening is made into the pulp chamber through the top of the tooth. Once the pulp is removed, the root canal is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. If Dr Sandler decides to complete the root canal therapy in multiple visits, a soothing medicament is placed inside the tooth and a temporary filling will be placed to protect the opening into the tooth. When you return, Dr Sandler will remove the temporary filling, re-clean the root canal and pulp chamber, and place a permanent filling and / or crown over the tooth.

Root canal therapy has a high rate of success (over 93%).  Many teeth undergoing the procedure can be saved to last a lifetime. Additionally, the crown or filling placed at the completion of the procedure makes it hard to be noticed by others that you had the treatment.
Finally, most teeth treated with a root canal are weakened and structurally compromised. These teeth require crowns(caps) to reinforce them because they are suseptable to fracture.